Welcome,
I'm Mark Rowland,
And I'm honoured to guide you on this seven-day journey through the poetic wisdom of Rumi.
Today's practice centres around one of his most well-known poems,
The Guesthouse.
It's a reminder that everything we feel,
Every thought,
Every emotion,
Is welcome.
This being human is messy,
Magnificent,
And constantly changing,
So let's begin by softening gently into presence.
Take a deep breath in,
And let it go.
And again,
Gently inhale,
And exhale.
Let the breath thank you.
Let the body arrive.
This being human is a guesthouse.
Every morning brings a new arrival,
A joy,
A sadness,
A meanness.
Some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all.
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture,
Still treat each guest honourably.
They may be clearing you out for some new delight.
The dark thought,
The shame,
The malice,
Meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.
We can often try to control our emotion and feelings that arise within us.
We tend to welcome the pleasant feelings,
But push the rest away.
Imagine if we stopped resisting.
What if we opened the door to all of it?
This poem invites us to shift our relationship to discomfort,
And to trust every feeling has something to teach us.
So rather than identifying as the emotion,
We become the space that holds it.
Let's explore that now with a guided meditation.
Begin by noticing the rhythm of your breath,
The natural rise and fall.
Let it be soft,
Unforced,
Present.
Now gently scan your inner landscape.
What's here today?
Is there tightness,
Restlessness,
Calm,
Joy?
Whatever it is you find,
Greet it,
Let it be a guest.
As you breathe in,
Silently say to yourself,
Welcome.
And as you breathe out,
You are allowed to be here.
Let each breath be like opening the door.
Let each moment be a warm greeting.
Even if what arrives is uncomfortable.
You are not the emotion.
You are the house that holds it.
Ear for thought arises,
Welcome it.
If resistance shows up,
Equally welcome that too.
There is no wrong guest.
There is only the invitation to remain open.
Now breathe into the heart space.
The center of your chest.
Imagine it like a warm room with light in the windows.
Each guest is invited in,
Offered tea and listened to with patience and kindness.
Let your body soften around whatever is arising.
Let yourself be the open door,
The steady space,
The calm host.
If nothing in particular is showing up,
Simply rest in the awareness itself.
The clear sky that holds all the weather.
It's you.
Let yourself drop deeper now.
No striving,
Just receiving.
Just welcoming.
As we close now,
Carry this with you.
Whatever arises in your inner world,
You are not the guest,
You are the house.
You are the lighted doorway.
You are the space that welcomes.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
Rumi writes,
Because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.
Let today be a practice of that radical welcome,
In breath,
In thought,
In heart.
Thank you so much for choosing to join me on this course today.
Join me tomorrow,
Where we will explore another magical Rumi poem.
Until then,
Have a beautiful rest of your day.
Go in peace.
Namaste.
